Safety-stirrup.



WILLIAM B. GOODWIN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SAFETY-STIRRUP.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented .Tune 2, 1908.

Application filed June 6, 1906. Serial No. 320,373.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. GOODWIN, citizen of the United States,residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Stirrups, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in safety stirrups.

The object of the invention is to provide a safety stirrup comprisingseparable members which when assembled gives the stirrup the appearanceof being formed of integral parts.

Another feature resides in the provision of a stirrup composed of twomembers, -one litting within the other and means for holding the saidmembers against unintentional displacement, but arranged to permit aseparation of the members when the inner member is rocked on the outermember.

A still further feature lies in the positioning of the holding meanswhereby the latter are concealed and a stirrup of the ordinaryappearance produced.

Finally the object of the invention is to orovide a device of thecharacter described that will be strong, durable and e'H'icient andsimple and comparatively inexpensive to construct and also one in whichthe several parts will not be liable to get out of working order.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel details of construction and operation, a preferable'embodiment ofwhich is described in the specification and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved stirrup, a portion being brokenaway to show the holding means, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional viewtaken on the line a--oJ of Fig. l, a portion being broken away to showthe holding means, Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken onthe line -oc of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on theline y-y of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section of one of thelegs of the stirrup, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of one of thehanger hooks, showing the leg of the hanger in cross-section.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates an inner or stirrup member,while 2 indicates an outer member or hanger. These members are formedand shaped to give the appearance of an ordinary stirrup when assembled.

The hanger is provided at its upper central portion with the usual straploop 3, while at its lower ends inwardly directed and oppositelydisposedhooks 4 are formed. These hooks are provided at their free endswith upwardly projecting curved lugs 5, which latter engage incorrespondingly shaped recesses 6 formed in the bottom of the usualstirrup step 7. This step is formed integral with the inner member 1 andis slightly broader than the ordinary step, giving an increased treadfor the purpose hereinafter described. Again referring to the lugs 5, itis apparent that if the same were not provided, the lower extremities ofthe hanger 2 would have a tendency to spread, causing the inner memberto drop out undesirably.

For holding the members together, I embed in the inner surfaces, stripsof soft material S, such as rubber, leather or other suitable material.-These strips extend, in the present instance, from the hooks 4 up to thecurved portion of the hanger and lies substantiallyflush with the innersurfaces of the hanger which adjacent to the strips are roughened orserrated as indicated at 9 in the drawings. The adjacent surfaces of theinner member 1 are likewise roughened or serrated as indicated at 10,the said latter surfaces interlocking with the serrations 9 and bitinginto the soft strips 8, thus locking or holding the members together. Itis to be noted that the serrations have been slightly exaggerated in thedrawings for the purpose of illustration and that in practice theyshould be comparatively ine, so as to hold under normal conditions butto permit a ready separation of the members when the inner member isrocked on the hooks of the hanger. As an additional means for holdingthe members together, I insert a key 11 between the members at theirupper central portions. This key, being arranged internally, isconcealed and is formed of a suitable material such as soft metal, so asto break under pressure exerted transversely.

The operation is as follows: Under normal riding conditions where thepressure of the riders foot is exerted directly downward on the step 7,owing to the flexible connections With the saddle, the members remain incontact. However should the rider be thrown from the saddle and his footcatch in the stirrup, the inner member 1 will be wrenched or swung fromthe hanger 2, thus preventing injury to the rider as his foot isreleased and the liability of being dragged by the horse is obviated.This action takes place in the following manner: l/Vhen the rider isthrown, his heel and toe are brought to bear with considerable pressureupon the edge of the step 7 and the upper curved portion of the innermember l respectively. This pressure is sufficient to break the key 11and i rock or swing the inner member on the hooks 4 and the lugs 5 whichlatter' are curved for this purpose. This swinging action is suffi cientto break the contact between the serrated surfaces of the members andthe strips 8, so that the inner member is rvirtually torn from thehanger and comes out of the stirrup with the riders foot, releasing himand obviating any injury except that occasioned by the fall. Of courseit is to be understood that the distance between the hooks 4 issufficient to permit the riders ankle to pass freely. As a furtherprecaution, the hanger 2 is made of spring metal so as to give underpressure and also to facilitate the separation of the members.

Tt has been pointed out as one of the objects of this invention toprovide a safety stirrup having the appearance of the ordinary stirrup,which is formed of integral parts. Many riders object to using theappearance of being provided with safety attachments. The stirrup hereindescribed is made to resemble, and in the form of what is known as theEnglish riding stirrup. This feature alone enhances the value of thestirrup.

What I claim, is:

l. In a safety stirrup, two members arranged to be separated and havingcontacting surfaces, and frictional fastening means formed of adifferent material arranged between the members.

2. Tn a safety stirrup, a hanger, a stirrup member fitting in thehanger, and a locking key of a soft material arranged between themembers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VTLLTAM B. GOODVIN. lVitnesses:

JAMEs O. JOHNSON, M. B. SCHLEY.

a stirrup having

